State fair's new attractions include weddings, wrestling, Lincoln

A quirky fire-truck-turned-wedding-chapel on display at the 2009 Illinois State Fair may seem like a marriage made in heaven, but organizers are going a step further: Visitors will get a chance to actually tie the knot at this year’s fair.

A quirky fire-truck-turned-wedding-chapel on display at the 2009 Illinois State Fair may seem like a marriage made in heaven, but organizers are going a step further: Visitors will get a chance to actually tie the knot at this year’s fair.

The Rev. Darrell Best, a minister from Shelbyville, will marry couples or renew their vows in the back of his 1942 American La France fire truck, which was turned into a mobile wedding chapel by the folks at Country Music Television’s “Trick My Truck” TV show.

The pristine white truck, featuring a functional chapel with pews and stained-glass windows, will be parked inside fairgrounds Gate 2, near Peoria Road and Sangamon Avenue. Fairgoers who have Sangamon County marriage licenses can be married on the spot.

“There are a lot of couples that their first date was at the fair or they got engaged at the fair,” said Illinois State Fair director Amy Bliefnick. “This is just such an amazing truck, so we just thought it would be a fun thing at the fair, something new and different.”

This year’s Illinois State Fair, themed “An All-American Fair,” runs Aug. 14-23. It is the 157th year for the fair.

Although the state’s budget crisis led organizers to trim where they could, there are plenty of new attractions for fairgoers, Bliefnick said.

“We did reduce our spending, and we do have some money put back in reserves. We’re definitely fiscally a little bit tighter than in the past, but we think we did a pretty good job of tightening our expenses while providing quality entertainment,” she said.

Other than the mobile wedding chapel, what’s new at the fair this year?

* Veterans will get the red-carpet treatment on Veterans Day at the fair Aug. 16. In addition to free admission for them and their families, each veteran will receive a commemorative pin he or she can wear throughout the day so others can recognize them for their service.

Veterans Day activities will go on in the Grandstand from 9 a.m. until noon that day, including a performance by the U.S. Coast Guard Silent Drill Team. Two members of the team are from central Illinois.

* A demolition derby will take place Aug. 22 in the multipurpose arena. It will include a celebrity demolition derby. Drivers are scheduled to include Bliefnick, Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin, sports radio host Sam Madonia, Capt. Jim Wolf of the Illinois State Police and others.

Page 2 of 2 -
nAbraham Lincoln will have a place at the fair this year because of the bicentennial of his birth. Visitors can go to five locations on the grounds to collect rubbings, which they can then turn in for discount admissions to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. There also will be a tent with displays about Illinois communities that have Lincoln ties.

* The Jamaican booth will be back at Ethnic Village this year.

* The fair will have new animal acts, including “Wild About Monkeys” and “Bear Mountain” in The Jungle, formerly known as Happy Hollow.

The fair had a good attendance year in 2008, which organizers attributed to beautiful weather and families’ interest in going on so-called “staycations” instead of taking vacations out of the area. Bliefnick said she is hoping for another good showing this year and doesn’t think the general admission increase — ticket prices were raised to $5 from $3 — will cause people to balk.

“I don’t think that’s going to be as big an issue for people as school starting will be,” she said. “Several schools in the area will be starting, college kids are heading off to college, and teachers going back to school. I think that is probably going to have a little more mid-week impact on us than the admission fee.

“I definitely have high hope for the weather. We were totally blessed last year. It was such a great weather year.

“I think one thing in this economy people really do look forward to is having quality entertainment close to home, places they can go and things they can do as a family. This year we hope people will stay in the community and have fun at the fair.”

Jayette Bolinski can be reached at 788-1530.

How to get hitched

Anyone who wants to get married in Best’s mobile wedding chapel — called “the Best Man” — at the Illinois State Fair must obtain a valid Sangamon County marriage license in advance. Licenses cost $27 and can be obtained from the county clerk’s office at the county building at Ninth and Monroe streets. Both parties must be present to get a license, and they can be applied for at least one day in advance and no more than 60 days in advance.